Enter your mobile number or email address below and we'll send you a link to download the free Kindle Reading App. Then you can start reading Kindle books on your smartphone, tablet, or computer - no Kindle device required.

Comment: Very Good used copy: Some light wear to cover, spine and page edges. Very minimal writing or notations in margins. Text is clean and legible. Possible clean ex-library copy with their stickers and or stamps.

This unique book, based on the previously unpublished correspondence of a young San Francisco woman describing the aftermath of the 1906 San Francisco earthquake and fire, graphically describes the sights of the city and gives details of everyday life in the chaos of those first days. Sarah Phillips' letters tell of walking a circuitous route of several miles in search of her mail, cooking in the streets for fear of fire, and sleeping outside for fear of aftershocks. In the second half of the book, Cgs member Dorothy Fowler leads the reader through an investigation using classic genealogy methods to identify the relatives and friends Sarah identified only by their initials. This book is not only an exciting "you are there" account, it is also, as one reviewer wrote, "a Baedeker to genealogy research."

Special Offers and Product Promotions

Editorial Reviews

Review

"...an eyewitness account is always important, especially one that is written with eloquence and clarity...This book is much more..." --Gary F. Kurutz, Executive Director & Curator of Special Collections, California State Library

"Dorothy Fowler's brilliant detective work in discovering the identities of the letter writers also makes for fascinating reading." --Charles A. Fracchia, Founder and President Emeritus, San Francisco Museum and Historical Society

From the Publisher

This unique book by California Genealogical Society member and long-time volunteer, Dorothy Fowler, is based on the previously unpublished correspondence of a young San Francisco woman during the summer of 1906. Sarah Phillips speaks for herself in letters to her sweetheart back east, describing the devastation in the city which she bravely goes out to explore. Dorothy Fowler uses classic genealogy methods to identify all the mysterious relatives and friends Sarah identified only by their initials.

Founded in February 1898 in San Francisco, California Genealogical Society and Library, a non-profit, all-volunteer organization that seeks to aid, educate and encourageresearch in family history, is presently located in Oakland, California.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

I was born and raised in the San Francisco Bay Area and have never really known the real impact the 1906 Earthquake had on its people. I really enjoyed reading this book. Things and places are so familiar to me. My daughter loves San Francisco and the History surrounding the City. After I bought the book and read it I told her about it and she wanted to Borrow it from me. I decided I would get her her own copy and surprise her with on my visit to the City for Easter. She will love it as I have and I know she will search out the places mentioned. Thank you CGS for all the hard searching you have done to produce a great book.

A Most Dreadful Earthquake offers personal observations and insight into the quake and its aftermath as well as the people involved -- including the young lady who wrote the letters. You will actually see the aftermath through Sarah Phillip's eyes. It's a fascinating, important and timely book that will bring the great San Francisco earthquake and fire back to life 100 years later. The book is a steal just for the letters alone. Fortunately Dorothy Fowler went way beyond that to describe the history and lives these people.

Additionally, if you're interested, you'll find the book includes great research techniques -- this is a model on how to do serious genealogy and historical research. The third section, Lives of the Letter Writers, provides the research into who these folks were and helps create depth in the characters. The reader truly cares about them. But Ms. Fowler also describes her research path. It held some great tips for me.